How to Let Go of the ‘Addict’ Identity: What Gabe Schiavone’s Story Teaches Us
What do you call someone who has overcome addiction? For many, the answer is “an addict.” This label often sticks for life, shaping how individuals see themselves and how the world sees them. But what if we shifted our language? What if, instead of being in perpetual “recovery,” a person could be fully “recovered?”
This is the core idea explored in a Todd Sylvester podcast featuring the incredible story of Gabe Schiavone. Gabe’s journey from a successful musician and dad to homelessness and back again shows that being recovered is a powerful mindset that can redefine a life. His story can hopefully offer some guidance for anyone struggling to move beyond the “addict” label.
Who Was Gabe Schiavone Before Addiction?
Before his life unraveled, Gabe Schiavone was a young man with dreams. He grew up in the West Hollywood area of Los Angeles as the youngest of seven boys. Both of his parents worked in the entertainment industry and eventually sent him to a performing arts school. Gabe soon realized that his biggest dream was to become a rock star.
In Gabe’s own words, he wanted to “share something he loved with people to bring happiness and joy.” This was his authentic self: a creative, passionate person driven by a desire to connect with others.
The Rock 'n' Roll Scene
During the punk rock era, teenager Gabe was excited to start his own band and play on the stage at various clubs. He knew from his first time on stage that music was what he was meant to do.
Gabe’s life wasn’t perfect. He lost three of his brothers within five years to alcohol, drugs, and crime. He also struggled with alcoholism himself, which was a huge part of the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. However, he was always filled with words of encouragement and love from both of his parents, and eventually overcame his addiction and sobered up.
A Diagnosis That Changed Everything
Gabe’s journey took a dark turn after a laryngeal cancer diagnosis. He explained that this isn’t an uncommon diagnosis for singers, even trained ones, but “when they diagnosed me, I was pretty shattered.” At this age, he had a family, and his career as a singer would suffer if he couldn’t release music.
As Gabe started treatment, a supposedly nonaddictive OxyContin was promoted and prescribed to him. Gabe states, “You will never hear me say I lost everything. I sacrificed everything. I am not the guy who went into it blind. I saw it happening, and I made choices.”
Life on Stage to Life on the Streets
This prescription, plus losing his music career and his growing children, led to a severe addiction. “I sought out a feeling in opioids, and that brought me to the streets, to getting in trouble with the law, to being homeless, and then I literally spent eight years on the streets as a drug dealer.”
When he finally entered treatment at Wasatch Recovery, he wasn’t trying to overcome addiction; he was still resistant and looking for an intellectual way out.
Service: What Gabe Needed to Overcome Addiction
Finally, during one of his many treatments, Gabe witnessed a father joyfully reuniting with his son. Seeing the look on the father’s face brought Gabe to tears as he felt a pure, selfless joy he hadn’t felt in a long time. It was then he realized, “I didn’t need to learn how to love myself. I needed to learn how to love others.”
This moment had a huge effect on Gabe. It helped him shift from a self-focused mindset to one of service and overcoming addiction. This reignited the dreams he had as a young musician. He reflects, “I decided right then and there, I’m done. I’m gonna spend the rest of my time here watching things happen for other people.”
What It Means to Be Recovered
When someone constantly refers to themselves as an addict, they anchor their identity to their past struggles. The alternative is to reconnect with the person you were before addiction took hold. Gabe encourages any listeners that “you don’t have to be that… That stigmatism that says, ‘I can’t do this because I am…’ I can’t go there because I’m an addict.”
Being “recovered” is a state of mind built on new beliefs and behaviors. For Gabe, it meant finding stability and gratitude in the small things. “I can literally say that I have found joy, and I found joy in service, and I found joy in my dreams again.”
The Milestones of a Recovered Life
Gabe stopped measuring his success by the time he’d been sober and started documenting the milestones he was achieving instead:
- Having the same phone number for a year and paying the bill on time
- Sleeping in the same bed for over a year
- Buying bedding and washing his sheets
- Getting a job at a grocery store and connecting with his community
These may seem like small accomplishments, but for someone rebuilding their life and overcoming addiction, they are monumental. Gabe explains, “If you can learn in the beginning to have gratitude for those little things, the blessings will just start coming your way.”
These accomplishments represent a return to normalcy and a foundation for a stable future. “I stay clean because of what I do want,” Gabe states, and not because of what he’s running from.
Embracing a New Identity
To be recovered, you must believe that the addicted part of your life is truly over. It means facing your past without letting it define you. “If you’re running from it, you can’t outrun it. At some point, you have to stand and face it and make a decision.” Gabe explains.
Gabe has come full circle. He recently released his first solo album, “Bullets,” fulfilling the dream he had as a teenager. He is no longer just overcoming addiction; he is a musician, a community member, and a man who finds joy in service.
Your Path to Recovery
Gabe Schiavone’s story proves that you don’t have to carry the label of “addict” forever. By shifting your focus from a past you can’t change to a future you can create, you can reclaim your authentic self. The journey of overcoming addiction is not easy, but as Gabe’s life shows, it is possible to be fully recovered.
If you are struggling to let go of a past identity and embrace who you are meant to be, know that you are not alone. It’s time to change the conversation to one of being truly recovered.
Listen to the podcast here to get Gabe’s full story.
